


Friends

by TheMidnightRiot



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comfort, Female Friendship, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 10:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMidnightRiot/pseuds/TheMidnightRiot
Summary: After her defeat against Neji after the chuunin exams, Sakura decides to cheer Hinata up with a girls' day out together





	Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This story includes a couple of minor original characters I made up solely for this story. The Hyuuga clan is a noble one, so I figured it wouldn't be too far out for Hinata to have servants or people put in charge of her. Enjoy!

Hinata had been holed up in her bedroom for days. She hadn't left her room to eat dinner or see anyone else in the family since her arrival from the disastrous chuunin exams. It mattered little: it's not like her father, Hiashi, was too fond on seeing her right now. He'd been too busy training with her younger sister Hanabi to care about her, anyways. The only people Hinata had seen in the past few days had been her maid and a few other servants who brought her food and fresh clothes to wear. Per Hiashi's orders, nobody was allowed to come visit Hinata after she was defeated by her cousin Neji, not even little Hanabi.

"Don't be so sorrowful, my mistress" said Chiyo, Hinata's maid, as she brushed Hinata's long and silky hair, "you'll get another chance to redeem yourself, I'm sure of it". But Hinata didn't feel so optimistic. She continued to obediently sit as Chiyo finished brushing her hair the way she did every morning. They'd picked their favorite spot to do this: Hinata's bedroom back porch, which overlooked a large section of meticulously curated flower gardens. The Hyuuga mansion had the most beautiful gardens Hinata had ever seen in her life, and watching them often brought her peace during trying times. And boy, were times trying for her lately.

She'd tried so, so hard to do well in the chuunin exams. She knew how much her father expected from her, how much her team expected from her: and yet she felt like she'd disappointed everybody. Shino had made it through the preliminary rounds and were now training with Kurenai sensei to prepare for the final phase of the exams. Her sensei had kindly invited to join their sessions once she recovered from her injuries, but despite being in good condition now Hinata had been hestitant to go.

_"Neji was right"_ she thought: she wasn't cut out to be a ninja. All she was good for was running and hiding. Even her sister Hanabi,-five years younger-, was tougher than her. She was a failure: as a ninja, as a heiress and as a daughter. Hinata tried to choke back the tears swelling up her big, pale eyes: she didn't want Chiyo to see her cry, too.

Chiyo knew her mistress like the back of her hand. She'd been brought to the Hyuuga clan's mansion as a servant when she was barely Hinata's age and had been put in charge of the family heiress. She'd been with her during her first steps, her first words, her first training sessions, her entrance to the academy; she'd been ecstatic to find out the mistress had been selected for the chuunin exams and was even happier when she found out Hinata made the cut for the second phase. Chiyo knew rather little about all this ninja business, but she did know the Hyuuga clan was full of powerful, brave ninjas and that Master Hiashi had placed a lot of expectations on his first-born. The thing she probably knew best was how much mistress Hinata wanted to appease her father's wishes and become a ninja worthy of carrying her family's legacy.

Yet the mistress was frail, squeamish and not cut out for combat. She was a peacekeeper and was always trying to break up fights rather than parttake in them. Whereas Master Neji was always training in the arena with his uncle and preparing for combat, Hinata preferred to take walks through the mansion's gardens, make floral arrangements and meditate. Chiyo always thought that Hinata was perfectly suited to be a princess, the kind she'd heard about in fairytales and old stories. But the Hyuuga clan had no need nor want for dainty little princesses; it was a clan of warriors. Had Hinata been born to any other noble family, maybe one that wasn't full of soldiers and ninjas, she'd have been the perfect heiress.

Chiyo noticed her mistress' tears when she caressed her cheek and furred her brow into a concerned expression. Hinata had cried so much in her life she could do it without making a sound. It was probably the most ninja thing she had going for her: being stealthy and quiet. The maid put down the brush she'd been using on her mistress' hair and gently embraced her from behind, soothing her with words of kindness and encouragement. She knew how much Hinata hated for people to see her tears. "It's a sign of weakness", Master Hiashi would often tell her, "and a true ninja never shows any weakness. Especially not to their enemy". So Hinata learnt to lower her head and cry quietly.

"I made a fool of myself, Chiyo..." Hinata whispered with a dreadful voice, "in front of Naruto..."

_Ah, Naruto-sama._ The mistress was quite fond of him. Chiyo had seen him around the village when she was out running errands or escorting the Hyuuga sisters. He was a rowdy, dirty, scrawny kid, always getting into trouble. Everyone in the village avoided him like the plague and she wasn't quite sure why, but when in Rome... Hinata was greatly infatuated with him, a fact she made sure to keep a secret from her family; but she could confide in Chiyo like a personal friend. She'd always tell her about him and Chiyo had greatly encouraged her to make nice with him or try to befriend him, but the mistress was so terribly shy she'd blush like a tomato at the mere sight of him! The boy was no better either: he was terribly clueless but impossibly friendly, according to her mistress' account of him. How Chiyo longed to be a fly on the wall and see these little love scenes play out in front of her!

Hinata's failures in love didn't seem to faze her as much as her failures in combat did: every time she succesfully managed to blurt out more than two words to Naruto or complete an interaction with him she'd be seething with glee and recount the story over and over again to Chiyo for days on end. Even when she arrived defeated from the chuunin exams and looking like a funeral, the very first thing she told her maid was how she did manage to give Naruto the healing ointment after his duel with Kiba, something she'd been looking forward to for weeks. It was the only thing she'd told her about the exams; she was a lot more hestitant to discuss the rest. Chiyo had heard rumours around town and from the other house servants; they made the genin spend days trapped inside a dark forest, called "The Forest of Death", fighting each other for some scrolls that they had to bring to a tower in the center of the forest, where more fighting awaited. Chiyo had greatly feared the mistress wouldn't survive such a draining experience, but she was surprised (and relieved) to see her return alive from the exams, despite her defeat and the gravity of her injuries. "I hope they never make the mistress go through such an ordeal again", she thought to herself while she held her in her arms.

"What am I going to do, Chiyo?" Hinata turned around and asked her maid, wiping away tears, "I've let down my entire clan".

"Nonsense, mistress" the maid rebutted, waving a hand in front of herself as if to brush off Hinata's words, "you're braver than you know yourself to be. You already survived that horrible test in that forest, didn't you?"

Hinata nodded quietly.

"But I only did so because Kiba and Shino were on my team" the heiress sighed, crestfallen, "I was only dead weight for them to carry".

"Ah, pardon me for asking: are you a sack of potatoes, mistress?" Chiyo asked playfully. Hinata shook her head and Chiyo chuckled, "then you passed by your own merit. Kiba-san and Shino-san are your teammates, but they did not carry you through that forest like a sack of potatoes. You did".

Hinata was still crestfallen, but Chiyo's statement managed to crack her a smile; she could be so witty sometimes.

-

Sakura gulped as she stood at the gates of the large Hyuuga estate; she'd never seen a house this size before. "I bet this place could fit half of the Hidden Leaf if it wanted to" she thought playfully, and then giggled to herself for thinking such a silly thing. "Enough with this nonsense, I've got business to attend to!" she quickly composed herself and adopted a serious expression. Taking a deep breath, she confidently marched towards the gates and proceeded to knock three times.

She didn't get to wait long before a house servant poked her head out of the gates and inquired what her business there was.  
"I'm Sakura Haruno, one of Hinata's classmates. I'm here to ask her if she wants to come with me for a stroll through the village" Sakura made sure to speak and act as ladylike and formal as possible: she knew the Hyuuga clan was a noble one, and Hinata wouldn't likely be allowed to associate with her if she acted like some vulgar commoner. The house servant, a short old woman with more wrinkles than skin surface, squinted her eyes at Sakura,-who cracked her best picture-perfect smile-, and after a brief pause that felt like an eternity informed Sakura that she'd see if the mistress was available.

She closed the gates behind her and Sakura was left to sit on the ground and wait patiently for her to come back. _"I hope she comes back with Hinata..."_ she thought, resting her head on one hand, _"after what happened at the chuunin exams I haven't seen Hinata anywhere in the village and she's not at the training grounds with her team either. She must be pretty bummed out after losing to Neji, I wanna cheer her up with some girls-only quality time."_ Sakura stared longingly into the distance, hoping for the best.

-

Back inside the mansion, the servant who'd just been with Sakura made her way to the heiress' bedroom. Hinata and Chiyo were still sitting on the back porch when the old servant opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Miss Hyuuga, there's a visitor for you at the door." Hinata turned her attention towards the servant standing in the middle of the room.  
  
"Who is it, Baba-chan?" she was genuinely surprised to hear that someone had come to visit her. Maybe it was Kiba or Shino? Her sensei? Deep down, Hinata secretly hoped that it was Naruto who had come to visit, but she knew that was impossible.

"Goes by the name of 'Sakura Haruno', says she's a classmate of yours," the old woman's voice spewed contempt as she pronounced Sakura's name, as if she were spouting an insult, but Hinata's eyes lit up when she heard that someone had come to visit her, "she asks if you'd wish to go for a leisurely stroll through the Hidden Leaf, should I decline the offer for you, mistress?". Baba spoke as if she were ready to send Sakura back where she came from. She was the oldest servant of the Hyuuga household; had been serving the family for three generations and had been head of the house servants back when Hiashi was still a child. She had a loyalty for the Hyuuga clan unlike many of the people who worked at the house and for the family, and had very high standards for how its members should behave. She disapproved greatly of anyone, especially the main family members, associating with commoners or really anyone outside the clan. Hinata knew if Baba were to ever find out she was interested in someone like Naruto, brittle and old as she was she'd train her in the ninja arts herself if it meant never seeing or hearing from him again. Hell, had it really been Naruto at the door Baba-chan would've kicked him out onto the street like a stray dog.

But Hinata was already digging through her closet for her clothes before the old maid could finish. "Of course not, Baba-chan! Tell her to wait for me, that I'll be at the door in 5 minutes, please!" Hinata's voice was unusually cheerful for the first time in weeks, even the old maid took notice. Chiyo quietly smiled to herself at seeing the mistress so upbeat and excited for once and secretly thanked this Sakura girl for having come by to visit. Baba the old maid huffed but complied with the heiress' orders. She'd have to have a chat with Master Hiashi later about this.

-

Sakura heard Baba's steps before she saw the door open and the old woman step out once again. "She says she'll come with; she's getting dressed, the mistress will be out in 5 minutes".

"Thank you so much!" Sakura said cheerfully, smiling wider than she intended to. "I'll wait for her right here".

"Hm..." the old woman eyed Sakura from head to toe._ "What a wide forehead she has"_, Baba thought, _"why doesn't she cover it up with those ninja bands they give them?"_. She politely bowed to Sakura and was about to close the door again when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Wait! Don't close the door, Baba-chan!" Hinata managed to shout as she sprinted through the dirt path that connected the front gate with the entrance hall. She dashed across the vast front yard in less than a minute and arrive to the front gate out of breath and with the hair Chiyo had so diligently combed disheveled into a mess. Baba's expression morphed into a deep frown, and she huffed and puffed at such a sight: "Miss Hyuuga, how unladylike! A princess musn't come running down the dirt path like some," she huffed, "like some vandal running from the authorities. And by the seven chakras, look at the state of your hair! Your maid must've spent hours combing it and brushing it only for you to ruin it by sprinting through the house."

Sakura could barely contain her laughter. Hinata started to blush, embarassed for being scolded like this in front of a classmate, but Sakura winked an eye at her and gestured for them to get going while Baba was still going at it with her monologue about manners and proper etiquette, causing her to quietly giggle as she covered her mouth like a child playing hide and seek.

"I can't let you go out looking like this, just imagine what it would do for the clan's reputation if the Hyuuga heiress were to go out looking like a street rat, we're going back inside right now so I can fix your hair and get you proper clothes!". But before Baba could grab a hold of Hinata's arm, Sakura had already taken Hinata by the hand and they were out the door and off to the Hidden Leaf village in the blink of an eye.

"I'll be home before sunset, Baba-chan!" Hinata called out from a safe distance, knowing Baba was too old to run after them. Sakura felt particularly feisty that day and waved the uptight old woman goodbye with her biggest smile yet in an effort to make fun of her, which effectively caused Baba to, you guessed it, huff and puff. Once they were far enough from the Hyuuga estate both girls couldn't contain themselves anymore and exploded into a laughing fit.

"That was way too funny, Hinata! I've got to come by your place more often" Sakura said between cackles and laughs, "did you see the way she got her panties in a twist from you running down to greet me?". Sakura then proceeded to hilariously imitate the old woman's gestures and expressions. Hinata was laughing so hard she had to hold onto her stomach. They laughed so hard they started crying, and it was the first time in probably many months Hinata hadn't cried out of sadness or sorrow. Finally, after laughing until the dropped on the floor, they got back up and started walking in silence toward the village, feeling cheerful and content.

"So, what's up Hinata?" Sakura said, giving Hinata a warm smile. She knew the Hyuuga heiress was terribly shy and introverted, so she was trying not to be too pushy with her and cause her to shut herself in even more. Still, Hinata retorted into herself and fiddled with her thumbs as she usually did.

"N-not much, really..." followed by an abysmal silence. But Sakura did not back down: she'd break Hinata out of her shell one way or another.

"Are you feeling better now?" Sakura made sure not to look Hinata's way when she asked, this time. Maybe she felt more comfortable when she wasn't being watched. She daydreamingly looked up at the big blue sky: it was a beautiful day outside. Save for a few white clouds, the sky was almost clear; the birds were chirping up in the air, the wind gently rustled the emerald leaves that decorated the treetops like great green crowns. Hinata fiddled and stuttered before she finally blurt out:

"I'm feeling much better now, t-thank you, Sakura-chan..." she managed to say as she walked with her head down, "a-and...thank you...for coming to visit me and taking me out on this stroll".

Sakura grinned.

"Don't mention it. I figured you might need some quality girls' time after the chuunin exams", by now they were walking into the village, which was bustling about with activity, as it often was, "you don't hang out with girls a lot, don't you?"

"Only...my sister" Hinata said, "but she's...busy. Training." She gulped as she said this; thinking of Hanabi often made her think of her father lately, and she didn't want to be thinking about that at all.

"I didn't know you had a sister, what's her name, what's she like?"

"She's my little sister, her name's Hanabi" Hinata said, and a smile drew on her face, "she's...very strong. Maybe stronger than me". The smile didn't last long; once again, Hinata was crestfallen and gloomy. Sakura frowned: _"agh, look what you've done you dummy! You've made her upset!"_ her inner self reproached, _"do something!"_

"I, um, I...Hinata!" It was now Sakura who was struggling to speak. Hinata noticed, and turned to face Sakura with her eyebrows raised; it was odd to see Sakura stutter, she was often very forward in her speech, "I've got an idea! Let's go down to the river!"

"Huh?" Hinata tilted her head sideways, giving her a confused look, "the river? But, isn't that on the other side of the village? I promised Baba-chan I'd be home before sunset..."

But before she could really finish saying that, Hinata shook her head from side to side and clenched her fists. _"You fool!"_, she thought, _"Sakura-chan made the effort to come all the way out to the Hyuuga house just to spend time with me! Who cares if Baba-chan gets mad because I'm a little late? Who cares if my father gets mad at me, too? He's always mad or disappointed with me anyways, what difference does it make? I want to have fun and do things like a normal girl, I'll never make any friends if I keep being like this, and Sakura-chan wants to be my friend!"._

Suddenly, Hinata turned to Sakura with her eyes wide open and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Nevermind that! Let's go down to the river!", and just like that they started running. Sakura was completely taken aback: what had taken over Hinata? But it only lasted her a moment before she let out a big laugh.

"Okay then! I'll race you!"


End file.
